"Los Angeles" a Los Angeles Travel Page by coopergirl2003

We went to LA for 4 nights in November 2006 as part of a bigger holiday. Stayed just on the edge of Hollywood which was good for exploring the area and Universal studios (initially offered a hotel in Anaheim but not interested in Disney).

Tried to hire a car when in LA which was highly unsuccessul as all cars were rented so we caught the bus (gulp!). In a city where EVERYONE drives, we did wonder who would be catching the bus (eg unsavoury characters maybe??), but it was reasonably pleasant!

Whilst in LA, we explored the Hollywood area (several shops, the Hollywood walk of fame, a few places to eat, a couple of cinemas, the Kodak theater, lots of out of work actors dressed up as characters from films), Universal Studios and Venice and Santa Monica Beaches.

We were offered tickets to a film premiere (Tenacious D film) by the concierge at our hotel, it wasn't guaranteed seats but if you got there about and hour and a half before the start time, you were most likely to get in. We had just arrived from Vegas and were tired and hungry but went to the cinema and saw the biggest queue ever trying to get into the premiere so we didn't bother and went for food instead!!! There were about 3 premieres whilst we were in LA which seems to annoy the locals as the sidewalk is closed off and the traffic increases massively, but as a tourist it's interesting to watch. We saw the Happy Feet premiere as we went past on the bus!

We went to Venice Beach which is about an hour on the bus from Hollywood and walked along the beach to Santa Monica beach. Both were pretty much deserted which was fantastic. It was really relaxing and we had great food on the Santa Monica pier. There was a group of classic car enthusiasts showing off their cars on the pier and on the beach was a tribute to those who had died in wars (it was 11th november).

Universal studios was also pretty quiet. It was a glorious day and we bought 'all star' passes which meant we were able to queue jump but it wasn't necessary at all. We had great food just outside the park. We also went back one evening for the food and shopping just outside the park and caught the underground which was also pretty deserted. It seemed to be an ideal time of year to visit.